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Witches and Witchcraft
A witch is a person who is born with the power to affect change in their surroundings through the use of magical abilities or practices (i.e. witchcraft). A witch can be either female or male, as they connect themselves with supernatural forces in order to practice sorcery. Witchcraft is a practice of magic that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Hoodoo, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. History The exact origin of witchcraft remains mostly unknown, however, the most commonly accepted belief is that the first witches probably made pacts with some of the first demons. Though demons do not generally claim responsibility and most angels have forgotten about those ancient events, most witches believe that the first witches summoned demons and made pacts with them in order to become more adept at the skill. Most witches believe that in this moment, "natural witches" were born. Bloodlines became the key to "real magic" and talent, skill, and knowledge became treasures that older generations eventually passed down to their progeny. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not generally contact demons, angels, or any other supernatural beings in order to practice magic. While it is not unheard of for a witch to contact a supernatural creature for a piece of magical knowledge they need, most witches are more than capable of practicing magic on their own. Although the majority of witches have been portrayed as malevolent men and women who use their powers for dark and sinister deeds, this is only the result of scapegoating during the Middle Ages by the Church. Witches are more inclined to evil or good than any normal human. Magic Magic is a practice of witchcraft that encompasses many different types of activities including astrology, divination, spell casting, and spirit communication. It includes the practices of many cultures, nations and religions as well as many books and writings from ancient times. Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Shamanism, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Although the majority of traditional witches are commonly portrayed as being kind and selfless humans who use their powers to maintain balance within the world, in the case of Esther and Qetsiyah, it has been proven that some witches are independent thinkers who may go against the Balance of Nature by practicing their powers for dark and sinister deeds. Powers and Abilities All witches have both innate abilities that can be used spontaneously and abilities require the use of incantations or rituals which require physical components. As witches age they mature, they learn more, they understand more about the nature of magic and its relation to the world around them. As a result, a rule of thumb for witches is that as they get older, they become more powerful. Innate Powers All witches have innate abilities that manifest over time that they do not need to use incantations or rituals to use. These abilities include: *'Telekinesis:' All witches are able to move objects and people with the sheer force of their will. *'Pyrokinesis:' All witches can set things on fire at will. While this abilities doesn't work on most supernatural beings, inanimate objects are easily ignited and once it's created, witches can manipulate the fire, but they need a source of fuel to maintain the fire. Spells and Rituals The act of changing and controlling events through the use of incantations and more. Witches can use some powers via spells such as: * Astral Projection: The power to project the astral body from outside of the physical body in order to travel from one location to another. * Longevity: The power to live hundreds (possibly thousands) of years while maintaining a beautiful and youthful appearance. * Teleportation (limited): The act of disappearing from one location and instantly reappearing in another location through supernatural means. * Conjuration: The act of creating various objects, such as maggots, blood, or hearts, through a hex. * Mind Control: The power to control and manipulate the behavior and thoughts of another living creature. * Mind Reading: The power to hear the thoughts of other as if having the thoughts, yourself. * Healing: Rowena was able to heal the Darkness' vessel. * Divination: The power to divine future, past, and present events based off extrasensory perception. **'Clairvoyance:' The power to divine future, past or present events through instinctive knowledge. **'Intuition:' The power to divine future, past or present events through the use of instinctive knowledge. **'Premonitions:' The power to divine future, past or present events through the observation and study of dreams. **'Psychometry:' The power to divine future, past or present events through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person. Tools *'Amulets:' An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm. * Athames: A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy. * Candles: A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to to amplify a witch’s spell. * Cauldrons: A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions. * Grimoires: A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells, and can also be used as a Talisman. *'Herbs:' Various flora used as ingredients to be incorporated into spells as binding agents *'Stones:' Various minerals and ores used to boost or bind a witch's spell. *'Symbols:' Seals drawn or written used as physical representations of spells. *'Talismans:' An object that is used to magnify a witch's power and or represent them supernaturally. Weaknesses *'Concentration: '''While not generally an issue for more experienced witches, channeling magic requires concentration. Given the right kinds of distractions (terror, dread, anxiety, pain) a witch can find it difficult to properly focus their abilities. *'Mortality:''' Despite their magical aptitude, witches are still human and thus prey to all the same vulnerabilities of other humans (e.g. age, disease, exhaustion, etc.) Souls and Magic All witches, when using most forms of magic except for long, rituals involving preparations and components, need a source of fuel for their magic. The most readily available and rechargeable source of energy is the soul. Thus, most witches have learned how to perform magical feats by tapping into their own life force in order to invoke magical effects. While this method has made many witches quite powerful and a force to be reckoned with, it makes witches vulnerable to powerful or particularly durable foes. Given the right circumstances, a witch can easily overexert him/herself when caught in a battle with someone who isn't easily defeated. In the worst case scenario, some witches have been known to accidentally kill themselves when caught in a fight they can't win and expend their life just to defeat an enemy. Relationships Witches Relationships between witches are generally positive and even witches unrelated by blood generally look out for one another, often treating unrelated witches as extended family. This sense of kinship developed from being collectively persecuted for centuries by normal human. However, it is worth noting that witches are still just human. They are just as likely to turn towards good or evil as any normal human is. Humans The relationship between the humans who know of the supernatural and witches is generally positive, although this was not always the case. Throughout the past, more than half of the human population lived in fear of the supernatural community, a fear that manifested in the world's most infamous witch trials that massacred hundreds (possibly thousands) of witches between the Middle Ages and Colonial Period. Throughout the centuries, it appears that the belief in occult has dramatically declined to the point where most humans like to poke fun at witchcraft, a behavior many witches encourage to ensure their anonymity to the human world and allow them to quietly practice their craft in private. Demons/Fallen Angels The relationship between demons and the witches is a complicated one that is more often negative than positive. This is mainly due to the fact that demons see witches as a threat. Witches are powerful humans not easily manipulated by demons and a human not easily manipulated is a human most demons would prefer dead. Nevertheless, many witches have joined forces with demons, especially since the apocalypse, many of which hope to be able to create more demons by perfecting the practice of creating the Scourge. Angels The relationship between angels and witches is generally neither good nor bad. Currently, angels and witches are more likely to be at odds than to cooperate as the witches blame the angels, as much as they do the demons, for the current state of the world and angels see witches as no more than human, a group angels no longer hold much affection for. Still, it isn't unheard of for witches and angels to join forces, especially considering that they both see demons as far more of a threat than they do one another.